Berklee College of Music Getting into Berklee Apply to Berklee's undergraduate, master's, and summer programs and register for courses offered by our online school. More Boston Conservatory Opera Intensive at Valencia Join opera singers from across the globe in Valencia, Spain this summer for a three-week intensive designed to hone performance skills and build a career in opera. Apply by February 15. More Graduate Programs Learn about Berklee's master's degrees offered on our Boston and Valencia, Spain campuses, with programs including music therapy, performance, business, film scoring, and music technology. More Study Abroad Read about members of an alt-rock band and other Berklee students who have spent a semester studying in Valencia, Spain. More M.M. in Orchestral Conducting Study with esteemed conductor Bruce Hangen and spend your days at the podium in Boston Conservatory at Berklee's orchestral conducting program . Apply by December 15. More Be Moved. Move Others. Boston Conservatory at Berklee's top-rated contemporary dance program challenges you to think beyond conventions to become a cutting-edge artist. Apply by December 15. Learn More M.M.

in Strings Performance Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s graduate string programs prepare musicians for versatile careers through specialized performance training and focused studies in audition technique, career development, and entrepreneurship. Apply by December 15. More Berklee Summer Learn, play, and take your musicianship to the next level. Register now for summer programs that give you a taste of Berklee—on the stage and in the classroom. More Full-Tuition Grants for Global Jazz Graduate Program Beginning with the fall 2016 class, all students accepted into Berklee's master of music in contemporary performance (global jazz concentration) program will be awarded full-tuition grants valued at $47,500. More Valencia, Spain Campus Berklee's first international campus, in Valencia, Spain, offers master's degrees, summer programs, and many other opportunities for global music education. M.M. in Choral Conducting Develop your artistic voice and gain hands-on experience leading an ensemble in Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s choral conducting program, let by distinguished conductor George Case. Apply by December 15.

More Your Role Awaits Boston Conservatory at Berklee's leading theater programs provide a trademark combination of acting, voice, and movement training that prepares students for a life in the arts. Apply by December 15. Learn More Define Your Artistry Boston Conservatory at Berklee's 50 degree-granting music programs offer musicians focused, conservatory-style training that has been reimagined for 21st-century artists. Apply by December 15. More A New Musical Epiphany Grammy-winners Craig Hella Johnson and vocal ensemble Conspirare will perform "Considering Matthew Shepard" at Boston’s Symphony Hall, navigating tragedy and finding humanity. More Alumni Earn Slew of Grammy Nominations Berklee alumni could take home as many as 33 Grammy Awards on music’s biggest night. KING, which includes vocalists Paris Strother '08 and Anita Bias '07, earned its first nomination. Find out who else was nominated. More Berklee Artists Fill 2016 ‘Best of’ Lists Many members of the Berklee community made or contributed to 2016 albums that have been recognized as among the year’s best by several of the most respected music journalism outlets.

More Meeting of the Music Ed Minds At the annual Berklee City Music Network Summit, educators, students, and experts from across the U.S. converged to share best practices for music-based youth development. More ‘Baptism by Fire’ in the Studio Former Berklee Internet Radio Network (BIRN) engineers say the college station prepared them for studio careers at Converse Rubber Tracks, Disney, and Inspire Entertainment. More Scoring Westworld: Djawadi '98 Acclaimed composer Ramin Djawadi ‘98 plays with two worlds—the sci-fi future and the Old West—in scoring HBO's hit series 'Westworld' with a mixture of acoustic and synthetic sounds. More The Price Is Righteous In a clinic for Berklee students, seven-time Grammy-nominated artist Kelly Price discusses how she overcame numerous obstacles to forge the music industry success she now enjoys. More Stars of Summer Find out which well-known pop stars, rock stars, and TV personalities first sought out the Berklee boost as high school students by attending the college’s Five-Week Summer Performance Program.

More From Practice Room to Board Room After finding his groove as a drummer at Berklee, Daniel McDermott ’02 is now CEO of Brighton House Associates, an alternative investment firm serving more than 26,000 investors. More Broadway Comes to Berklee Alumni Alex Lacamoire '95 ("Hamilton," "In the Heights"), Stephen Oremus '92 ("The Book of Mormon," "Kinky Boots") and Will Wells '11 ("Hamilton") meet with alumni, and Lacamoire visits campus, giving notes to musical theater students. More Bouncing Beyond Labels Big Freedia, the New Orleans-based bounce music icon who transcends genre and gender, speaks with Berklee students about everything from identity to working with Beyoncé. More From Berklee to Apple and Tesla La’i Dowsett ’14 forges her passion and creativity, and her Berklee music business/management education, into a thriving career in the tech sector. More Taking the Baton with Confidence Fernando Furones conducts his first orchestra—but likely not his last—after studying in Berklee’s Five-Week Summer Performance Program, Study Abroad program, Boston undergraduate program, and Valencia, Spain master’s program.

More Sanz and Students: Musicians without Borders Organized by Quincy Jones ’51 ‘83H, Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda, and others, the recent Rise Up as One Concert built bridges between cultures as Berklee students and alumni performed with Latin music superstar Alejandro Sanz ’13H. More Striking a Balance Student fiddle player Emily Baker talks about how she rediscovered her passion for music, and about the risk she took at age 26 to pursue music full time at Berklee. More A New Chapter for Contemporary Musical Theater Wanda Strukus, Boston Conservatory at Berklee's program director of contemporary theater, talks about fostering collaboration and supporting hybrid artists who can succeed in today's industry. More Taking the Stage at Newport Jazz Fest Alongside their Grammy-winning heroes such as Danilo Pérez and John Patitucci, students performed on stage at the 2016 Newport Jazz Festival with the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, turbo-charging their performance careers with guidance from Berklee master's program students. Alumni on the Big Screen Berklee alumni have worked on some of this summer's top films, including Jason Bourne.

More Modernizing Dance In this episode of Inside Berklee, Cathy Young, director of Boston Conservatory at Berkee's Dance Division, talks about taking risks, the recent merger, and preparing students for careers as versatile, entrepreneurial artists. Thornton School of Music ranked in top 3 | Daily Trojan Thornton School of Music ranked in top 3 in News The Thornton School of Music was ranked as the No. 3 music school by The Hollywood Reporter in its list of the top 25 music schools of 2014, published on Sunday. The list included schools from around the world. The Julliard School in New York City topped the list at No. 1, followed by the Berklee College of Music in Boston. “I think that rankings such as these are highly subjective,” Vice Dean of Division of Contemporary Music Christopher Sampson said. “The best school is the one that meets individual students’ needs, and I think we meet a lot students needs very well.” The Thornton School of Music, whose notable alumni include composer David Newman and opera singer Marilyn Horne, is Los Angeles’ “oldest continuously operating cultural institution,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I think that our alumni who are working in the profession influenced this opinion a great deal,” Sampson said.

“Within the professional community you can find a lot of Thornton alumni.” The 130-year-old school has given students the opportunity to study alongside professionals in the field, such as D.J.-producer Young Guru. Singer-songwriter Chaka Khan recently led a master class in which, “students began playing her hit ‘Tell Me Something Good,’ and she jumped up and sang with them,” Thornton Communications Manager Evan Calbi told The Hollywood Reporter. Thornton offers more than 20 different programs including classical guitar, composition, music industry and popular music. Popular music is one of the school’s most selective programs. The program, which Sampson said is small by design, admitted only 8 percent of applicants last year. “I think that the applicant pool is seeing the success of graduates coming out of Thornton,” Sampson said. “When they see that kind of success, that incentivizes them to want to apply to the school because they see we are clearly training students for the professional world,” Sampson said. In the coming years, Thornton students will also be afforded the opportunity to work collaboratively with students in the Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation, launched earlier this year.

Sampson said he is looking forward to the projects students will be able to create together. “Because the Academy has such a cultural slant, it’s not just a business or technology degree. There’s definitely room for music and audio content, and our students are going to be highly sought after to collaborate,” Sampson said. “I’m looking forward to it and to see in what form it will be in. I think it’s up to students to drive that.” In April, Thornton was also named the first official university affiliate of The GRAMMY Museum. The partnership allows Thornton to have access to the museum’s collection’s for a variety of their educational programs, including seminars, projects, marketing and other research programs. Share this entry The 20 Best Music Conservatories in the U.S. | The Best Schools Finding the best school for you The 20 Best Music Conservatories in the U.S. Tweet this! The 20 Best Music Conservatories in the U.S. Students with a passion for music must decide whether they want to devote their lives to music and thus attend a college dedicated to training musicians, namely, a conservatory.

In choosing a conservatory, music students seek a program that will provide them with the skills and opportunities needed for them to grow and flourish as artists. At the same time, they want a program that prepares them in a practical way for a career in the music world. Related Articles Rock and Roll at Sixty: The Narrative History of Rock and Roll’s Conception Subscribe & Stay Informed The 20 conservatories on this list offer some of the best music programs in the nation. They are located across the United States. Some, like Juilliard and Curtis, are well-known training grounds for students of classical music. Others, like the Colburn School or Musicians Institute, prepare students for careers in the contemporary music industry. Despite their many differences, each school on this list is dedicated to advancing the future of music by training the next generation of musicians. The schools in this ranking were selected on the basis of educational excellence, strength of faculty, reputation, and record of accomplishment by alumni/ae. The 20 Best Music Conservatories 1Juilliard School (New York, New York) Founded in 1905, the Juilliard School can easily be considered the most prestigious music conservatory in the country—and for good reason.

Located in New York City’s Lincoln Center and known for its high-expectations, Juilliard has produced many musicians who have become household names: from Miles Davis to Yo Yo Ma to Renée Fleming. The school offers a Bachelor of Music, a Master’s of Music, and a Doctorate of Music Arts, as well as various combinations of the three. Admission is highly competitive and requires a live audition. Each year, only about five percent of vocalists and 16 percent of instrumental musicians are accepted. About 600 of Juilliard’s 650 students are music students (there is also a dramatic arts program). Because the school is so small, it has no problem attracting top talent. Juilliard musicians tend to be competitive students who are happiest as soloists or as members of top-ranked music groups. First-year students are required to live in student housing, almost all of which is ideally located around the Lincoln Center area. Although Juilliard has received some criticism for its limited availability of practice space, the school is currently in the process of adding additional practice rooms on campus and in residence halls.

2Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Founded in 1924, the Philadelphia-based Curtis Institute of Music has produced many notable alumni—especially composers, including Leonard Bernstein, Gian Carlo Menotti, Ned Rorem, and Nino Rota. Other famous alumni include conductors Jaime Laredo and Alan Gilbert, violinist Jascha Brodsky, organist Alan Morrison, and pianist Lang Lang. Curtis is likely the most selective conservatory in the country. Live auditions are required, and only four to 11 percent of applicants are accepted each year. The entire undergraduate student body consistently hovers around 150 students, 100 percent of whom receive a full-tuition scholarship (though housing costs are not included). The rigorous music education students receive at Curtis is seemingly successful at propelling students into musical careers. Students can participate in any of the four campus ensembles, all of which are led by an elite faculty. Vocal graduates have gone on to sing with the Met, La Scala, and other internationally famous opera companies, while Curtis musicians currently occupy principal chairs in every major American symphony.

3Manhattan School of Music (New York, New York) Located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the Manhattan School of Music is a competitive environment that offers its students a number of valuable opportunities. Founded in 1917, the conservatory is especially respected for its jazz department, which has produced a long roster of notable alumni, including Harry Connick, Jr., Herbie Hancock, Hugh Masakela, and Herbie Mann. But the conservatory isn’t just about jazz. In fact, the Manhattan School of Music boasts strong programs all around, all of which are headed by a first-class faculty that includes members of the New York City Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. All students take classes in Music Theory, Music History, and a variety of performance arts. Popular degrees offered include Doctorate of Music Arts and Master of Music in Classical Studies, Jazz Arts, and Orchestra Performance, among others. The school itself is moderately selective. Forty percent of applicants are admitted to join the undergraduate student body of about 400. First-year students are required to live in student housing, and approximately 55 percent of all students receive some sort of financial aid.

4Berklee College of Music (Boston, Massachusetts) Unlike many of the conservatories on this list, Berklee is firmly focused upon the study and practice of contemporary, as opposed to classical, music. Founded in 1945, it was the first music school in the United States to include jazz in its curriculum. Berklee consistently ranks in the top 10 of American conservatories. With 4,131 students, Berklee is one of the biggest schools on this list. It offers students the choice of certificates, Bachelor’s, and Master’s in several different programs, the most popular of which include songwriting, general music performance, music management, music teacher education, and music therapy. Berklee calls itself the “world’s premiere learning lab for the music of today—and tomorrow.” The College’s long list of successful alumni include composer/producer extraordinaire Quincy Jones, jazz-pianist legend Keith Jarrett, film composer Howard Shore, and countless Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winners. 5Mannes College-The New School for Music (New York, New York) Founded in 1916, Mannes College joined The New School for Music consortium in 1989.

Since then, it has solidified itself as one of the top choices for serious young music students. Located in New York’s Greenwich Village, Mannes’s student population hovers around 350, making it one of the smallest conservatories on this list. Both undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered in departments such as classical music performance, voice, composition, jazz, and more. Mannes’s elite faculty includes a number of well-respected composers, as well as past and current members of the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera. 6New England Conservatory of Music (Boston, Massachusetts) Located in Boston, the New England Conservatory of Music is one of the largest conservatories to be located in an urban setting. In fact, the college community that is Boston remains a huge draw to prospective Conservatory students. Nearly half of the members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra have ties to the school, while Boston itself is a vibrant music community with several regional orchestras and performance ensembles. Admissions into the New England Conservatory is moderately competitive, with approximately 30 percent of applicants offered admission each year. The most popular programs include composition, jazz, and strings.

The Conservatory has recently received positive press for its newest program, Entrepreneurial Musicianship, which is designed to assist students in establishing successful careers in the music industry. The Conservatory, which was founded in 1867, is also home to the 1,013-seat Jordan Hall, a National Historic Landmark and “one of the world’s most acoustically-perfect performance spaces.” 7Boston Conservatory (Boston, Massachusetts) Founded in 1867, Boston Conservatory offers Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Music, artist diplomas, and certificates in such departments as music, musical theater, and music education. It is also one of the few conservatories offering instruction in all major instruments, including collaborative piano, harp, marimba, and vocal pedagogy. Boston Conservatory offers admission to approximately 40 percent of its applicants, and boasts a yearly retention rate of more than 85 percent. Student housing—a requirement for freshmen—is a series of traditional Boston brownstones. Students share cafeterias, campus restaurants, and gyms with nearby Northeastern University.

Boston Conservatory alumnae include classical guitarist Lily Afshar and the luminous Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, whom many considered America’s finest mezzo-soprano until her tragically early death in 2006. 8Cleveland Institute of Music (Cleveland, Ohio) Cleveland Institute of Music may be smaller than most of the conservatories on this list, but it boasts a number of benefits and opportunities that should appeal to the serious music student. Most notably, Cleveland’s lower cost of living results in lower tuition and housing costs. Like most other colleges and conservatories, first-year students are required to live in student housing. Admission is competitive, with only 30 percent of applicants offered a place. Cleveland Institute of Music has a good reputation across the board, especially when it comes to their strings and woodwinds departments, both of which are led by top faculty. Thanks to the Institute’s focus on training undergraduates, students have plenty of performance opportunities. Half of the school’s faculty are past or current members of the world-class Cleveland Orchestra, and Severance Hall is located mere blocks from campus.

9San Francisco Conservatory of Music (San Francisco, California) San Francisco Conservatory of Music is a smaller conservatory located in the city’s Civic Center—a mere stone’s throw from the San Francisco Symphony and Opera House. Though the city of San Francisco remains a big draw for prospective music students, the Conservatory remains one of the least competitive on this list. Approximately 40 percent of applicants are invited to join the school’s 450 students each year. A whopping 95 percent of students receive a scholarship of some kind, and student housing is located throughout San Francisco’s many desirable neighborhoods. The Conservatory’s programs are widely respected across the board, though its graduate chamber music program stands out as one of the top programs in the country. Students of all degree levels are given a number of performance opportunities in and around the Bay Area, and an impressive one-third of the Conservatory’s faculty hails from the world-renowned San Francisco Symphony. 10Peabody Conservatory-Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland) Peabody Conservatory is a division of the Peabody Institute, which is itself a division of Johns Hopkins University.

It is no surprise, then, that Peabody’s stature is commensurate with the larger university’s stellar international reputation. Located in Baltimore, Peabody has been training students for professional careers in music for more than 150 years. The Conservatory has produced numerous respected artists. Though music is of course the main focus of the curriculum, Peabody’s programs also stress civic responsibility. Students are expected to learn to be leaders both in society and of their careers. Unlike many other top conservatories in the area, Peabody encourages student collaboration, as opposed to constant competition. Degrees offered include Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Master of Art, and performance diplomas. Popular majors include performance, jazz performance, computer music, music education, music theory, and recording arts and sciences. 11Eastman School of Music-University of Rochester (Rochester, New York) Though Eastman School of Music is a true conservatory, students have the option of taking academic classes or pursuing a minor through Eastman’s sponsor, the University of Rochester. Eastman consistently ranks among the top-rated conservatories in the nation.

With a student body of only 900 students, it’s one of the more selective conservatories, accepting fewer than 30 percent of applicants. Nearly every student receives a scholarship, which is an important benefit, considering Eastman is also one of the most expensive conservatories. Eastman is known for having an outstandingly rigorous program. Its graduate program is especially respected, drawing a number of prospective students from other conservatories. Eastman has produced many successful alumni, and has former students in every major orchestra in the country. 12Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Oberlin, Ohio) Oberlin Conservatory of Music is the oldest conservatory in the country. Associated with Oberlin College, this is a truly unique school. Most students at Oberlin Conservatory opt for the traditional, four-year Bachelor of Music degree program. However, about 30 percent of students choose the more rigorous, five-year, dual-degree program offered by the Conservatory in conjunction with highly selective Oberlin College. Upon completion of the five-year program, students receive both a Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College and a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory.

Many of the students admitted to the demanding five-year program manage to complete their studies in fewer than five years. Oberlin Conservatory maintains an excellent reputation, and is especially well known for its programs in contemporary and baroque music, as well as its unique TIMARA (Technology in Music and Related Arts) program. Located in rural Ohio about an hour southwest of Cleveland, Oberlin Conservatory has fewer than 600 students. Approximately 25 percent of applicants are offered admission, 90 percent of whom are also offered tuition assistance. Oberlin has graduates in every major ensemble in the United States. 13Academy of Vocal Arts (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) There may be no better place for aspiring opera singers to perfect their art than Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA). AVA was founded in 1934 by Helen Corning Warden, a Philadelphia socialite who wanted to establish a place where talented singers could train without suffering the financial burdens of the Great Depression. While the Great Depression is long over, AVA remains dedicated to providing free higher education to future stars of the opera. Not surprisingly, AVA is highly competitive and only 28 singers are accepted per year.

The curriculum is centered around a one-on-one approach with conductors and vocal coaches. In addition to vocal lessons, students also take classes in French, German, Italian, movement and dance, stagecraft, history of opera, care of the professional voice, stage combat, and professional development, among others. Recitals and performances are frequent, and students are often given the opportunity to audition for visiting companies in the U.S. and abroad. 14Jacobs School of Music-Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana) Jacobs School of Music is a music conservatory that is also a part of Indiana University Bloomington. Established in 1921, it is the largest accredited music school in the nation. A live or recorded audition is required for entrance into Jacobs, and approximately 25 percent of undergraduate applicants are offered admission (about 200 students per year). Students are required to participate in at least one ensemble each semester. Choices of ensembles range from 13 choirs, to eight bands, to seven orchestras. Jacobs offers Bachelor of Music, Master of Arts, Master of Music, and Doctor of Music degrees, among others, in a wide variety of musical fields.

Jacobs consistently ranks among the top music schools in the nation, and Jacobs students are frequent winners in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in New York City each spring. The school’s 180+ full-time faculty members include a number of performers of international renown. Alumni include superstar violinist Joshua Bell, conductor Leonard Slatkin, songwriter/producer Booker T. Jones, jazz trumpeter Chris Botti, cellist Paul Katz, singer Sylvia McNair, and many others. 15New World Symphony (Miami Beach, Florida) New World Symphony is the world’s only full-time orchestral academy. Founded in 1987 in Miami Beach, New World prepares students for careers in symphony orchestras and ensembles. New World is an intensive three-year program. In addition to training and education, the school presents a full season of concerts from September to May, including full orchestras, a chamber music series, ensemble, and more. Students are given a number of performance opportunities both in the United States and abroad, and are even encouraged to design and present their own concerts. New World has produced approximately 900 alumni who are currently working in 170 orchestras in 17 countries.

16Los Angeles College of Music (Pasadena, California) Los Angeles College of Music is a private, for-profit music school located in Pasadena, California. Founded in 1996, the school focuses on providing its approximately 150 students with the hands-on knowledge necessary for succeeding in careers in the contemporary music industry. The unique six-quarter program results in students’ receiving a non-transferrable professional degree in drums, guitar, bass, or voice. Every member of the faculty is a current industry professional, and frequent master classes are offered with a long list of well-known artists. As of Fall 2014, LACM offers a Bachelor of Music (BM), accredited by NASM, for Drum, Bass, Guitar and Vocal Performance, as well as Music Producing & Recording. Other programs debuting Fall 2015 are Brass & Woodwinds and Music Business, which will be B.A., not B.M., programs. Alumni of Los Angeles College of Music have gone on to work with artists such as Paul Anka, Ricky Martin, Chick Corea, Jeff Beck, Natasha Bedingfield, the Black Eyed Peas, and many more.

17Bard College Conservatory of Music (Annandale-on-Hudson, New York) Founded in 2005 under the auspices of Bard College, this conservatory is located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The school’s unique, five-year, undergraduate degree program allows students to obtain both a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Arts in a subject other than music. Bard boasts an elite faculty, many of whom also teach classes at Juilliard and Curtis Institute. As a result, programs are rigorous, but come with plenty of performance opportunity. Popular undergraduate programs include the standard orchestral and chamber instruments, as well as composition. Popular graduate programs include vocal arts, conducting, and collaborative piano. 18McNally Smith College of Music (Saint Paul, Minnesota) Founded in 1985, McNally Smith College of Music is a private, for-profit institution. The school is widely known and respected in the music industry for its intimate setting, access to studios and practice space, and small class sizes with one-on-one attention.

McNally Smith offers Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees in subjects such as music business, guitar, bass, drums, voice, keyboard, brass and woodwinds, strings, live sound production, songwriting, and much more. Every faculty member at McNally Smith is a current industry professional, many of whom have resumes that include gold and platinum albums, Grammy awards, and Broadway work. Notable alumni include singer/songwriter Ari Herstand, This World Fair guitarist Zack Carroll, and Quietdrive guitarist Justin Bonhiver. 19Colburn Conservatory of Music (Los Angeles, California) Located in downtown Los Angeles, the Colburn Conservatory of Music is ideally located next to the Museum of Contemporary Art and across from the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The Conservatory is a division of the Colburn School, which was originally founded in 1950 as the Community School for the Performing Arts on the campus of the University of Southern California. The school changed its name to the Colburn School of the Performing Arts in 1986, and moved to its present location in 1998. Finally, in 2003, the Colburn Conservatory of Music was created within the Colburn School.

The Colburn Conservatory of Music has a comprehensive curriculum that includes one-on-one lessons, music theory, music history, ear training, orchestra, and a rigorous chamber music program. Admission into the Colburn School is highly competitive, with only approximately eight percent of applicants accepted each year. Each and every Colburn student receives a full-ride scholarship, which includes free tuition, room, and board. 20Musicians Institute (Los Angeles, California) Founded in 1977 in Hollywood, the Musicians Institute (MI) is a college of contemporary music which focuses on helping its students build the creative skills necessary to develop successful music careers. The school has a 96 percent admissions rate and—with 1,425 students—is one of the largest music schools in the country. MI offers a variety of accredited programs ranging from Associate of Arts and Bachelor of Music degrees, to certificates and alternative non-degree programs. Students interested primarily in instrumental performance can choose from bass, drums, guitar, piano, keyboard, or vocals programs. Those interested primarily in the music industry can choose either the audio engineering program or the independent artists program.

Degree Finder Top Hollywood Music Schools: The Hollywood Reporter Unveils List | Hollywood Reporter Dietmar Quistorf/University of Southern California John beamed during a Sept. 16 performance at USC, No. 2 on THR’s list. The Berklee College of Music tops THR's inaugural ranking, with professional programs packed with Grammy, Emmy and Oscar winners vying against the world's great traditional conservatories. This story first appeared in the Nov. 8 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. The Hollywood Reporter's ranking of the top 10 music schools reveals a unique hierarchy of institutional standing. Based on a survey of academic and entertainment insiders -- including composers, arrangers, music supervisors, editors and engineers from The Society of Composers & Lyricists -- both traditional conservatories and innovative programs that funnel talent to Hollywood resonate among those who have graduated to the professional sphere. One clear advantage: proximity to Los Angeles, where extracurricular experience awaits. 1. BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC Boston Why did THR's entertainment-centric voters rate Berklee the best? "Berklee people are everywhere in L.A.," says Timothy Taylor, a UCLA commercial-music expert and author of The Sounds of Capitalism.

From the school's Fenway neighborhood campus, studio musicians and composers have emerged to helm the sounds of such blockbusters as The Hunger Games, The Hobbit, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and The Avengers -- that's $4 billion worth of movies boasting 12 Berklee grads on their soundtracks. Grammy-nominated film scoring chair George S. Clinton compares Berklee to a base camp that readies climbers to ascend to the top on their own (as he did, scoring 100 films). Although some take issue with the school's methods -- "Berklee churns out cookie-cutter composers who sound alike," grumbles one voter -- the fact that its alumni and faculty have won 270 Grammys is undeniable. Notable alumni: John Mayer, Branford Marsalis, Howard Shore 2. USC THORNTON SCHOOL OF MUSIC Los Angeles "Coasting is dangerous," Elton John warned an audience of USC Thornton School students Sept. 16 when he performed with a few of their lucky classmates. Fat chance of students coasting at a school that serves as a springboard to the industry.

In fact, Sir Elton enlisted those same USC musicians to back him up at the Emmys six days later. "Popular music was frowned upon when I came to USC," says Adam Chester ('85), a pianist and arranger John's crew calls "Surrogate Elton." Now, a pop pedigree yields a higher profile inside and outside the school: Michael Douglas went off script to give the USC musicians a shout-out at the Emmys, and Jay Z producer Young Guru is Thornton's artist in residence (a job once held by Lamont Dozier). "USC has the finest film/TV music program in the country," says John Debney (Iron Man 2). Notable alumni: Jerry Goldsmith, Marilyn Horne, Marco Beltrami STORY: Jimmy Iovine, Dr. Dre 'Academy' to Open at USC 3. THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL New York Only 7.3 percent of applicants get in to Juilliard, and it's no wonder: The 108-year-old institution is widely considered the center of the classical music universe -- and certainly is the field's most competitive school.

Look no further than the nasty age-old rumor of Juilliard students slipping razor blades between rivals' piano keys. That might be fiction, but gaining admission can feel equally dramatic. Starting in 2014, prospectives can compete for $60 million worth of all-expenses-paid fellowships, awarded to 25 of the 600 students. An additional 84 percent get scholarships averaging two-thirds of tuition costs, and those who take loans actually might find a job to pay them off: Half of the New York Philharmonic and 20 percent of members of the six other top U.S. symphonies are Juilliard grads. "When I was there, they didn't prepare you for the real world," says The X-Files composer Mark Snow ('68). "I was four years too early." Notable alumni: Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Michael Giacchino 4. UCLA HERB ALPERT SCHOOL OF MUSIC Los Angeles Consider UCLA's Herb Alpert School the opposite of a Beethoven-bust-worshipping conservatory stuck in the 19th century.

Its three departments -- ethnomusicology, music and musicology -- feature programs in classical, pop, jazz, African drumming, mariachi, Chinese and Japanese music and Irish traditional. UCLA also boasts one of North America's largest world-music archives and has a partnership with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. Says interim director Daniel Neuman, "Students get a global understanding of the art of music." Notable alumni: John Williams, Randy Newman, Angel Blue STORY: The Top 25 Drama Schools in the World 5. EASTMAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC Rochester, N.Y. The University of Rochester school has thrived on buzz of late, partly for its Institute for Music Leadership, which provides skills and seed money for entrepreneurs. THR's voters like that pragmatic innovation and what dean Jamal Rossi calls "a core of absolute musical excellence." Eastmanites recently played at President Obama's inauguration and won a Fulbright-mtvU Award to teach Iraqi refugee children in Jordan. "The question we grapple with is what a life in music might look like years into the future," says Rossi. Notable alumni: Ron Carter, Jeff Beal, Renee Fleming 6.

NYU STEINHARDT New York NYU's Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions has launched the careers of philharmonic players and Broadway stars alike, but THR's voters love the film scoring program, in which students study with the likes of Saturday Night Live bandleader Lenny Pickett, Sean Callery (Homeland, 24) and Steinhardt alum Ira Newborn ('72). Notable alumni: Elmer Bernstein, Wayne Shorter, Alan Menken STORY: James Franco Wins Lawsuit After NYU Professor Can't Find Him 7. CURTIS INSTITUTE OF MUSIC Philadelphia Aspiring musicians don't always have the financial means to seek higher education, which is one reason "all 171 of Curtis' students get free tuition," says artistic programs dean David Ludwig, adding: "Curtis is harder to get in to than Yale or Princeton. It's the hardest music school to get in to" -- with an acceptance rate of 6.8 percent. And among the most revered: When Curtis put its music history course online in 2012, 50,000 people enrolled.

Says Ludwig with a laugh, "In two hours, we had more students than had attended since 1924." Notable alumni: Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein 8. NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC Boston Emmy-winning Homeland composer Callery ('88) says NEC is "a protective and contained space where one's individual talent and creativity are nurtured" but not coddled. Case in point: Callery's piano teacher made him play four bars of a Bach Partita for an hour straight. "It was an amazing lesson in slowing down, paying attention and connecting your heart to the music," he says. Notable alumni: Cecil Taylor, Sarah Caldwell 9. CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS Valencia Herb Alpert called CalArts' music school "a really honest, creative place entirely open to new ideas." And the music industry veteran and jazz aficionado put his money where his mouth is, gifting $15 million for The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts (not to be confused with UCLA's). The program gives each student an industry mentor, restricts class size to an average of 14 and provides access to talented alums who tend to settle nearby.

Notable alumni: Ravi Coltrane, The Airborne Toxic Event's Noah Harmon 10. ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC London The London school has trained greats from inside its South Kensington walls for more than 130 years. "I wasn't a composer until I attended the RCM," says L.A.'s Christopher Tin ('00), who has won two Grammys -- for classical crossover album and video game theme -- and composed the opening note for Microsoft's Surface tablet. Notable alumni: Gustav Holst, L.A. Philharmonic CEO Deborah Borda Music Business Schools With Buzz: USC IOVINE-YOUNG ACADEMY Music industry mogul Jimmy Iovine and rapper/mogul Dr. Dre donated $70 million to found USC's school for arts, technology and the business of innovation. It opens in August. CLIVE DAVIS INSTITUTE OF RECORDED MUSIC Part of NYU's Tisch School, the program features courses taught by the likes of The Roots' Questlove. MIKE CURB COLLEGE OF ENTERTAINMENT AND BUSINESS Nashville's Belmont University guides budding performers and executives.

CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE In 2012, it started the West Coast's first master's degree in music industry administration. FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY "Real-world education" is the mantra at the Florida school that produced Oscar winner Gary Rizzo (Inception). BANDIER PROGRAM FOR MUSIC AND THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRIES Syracuse University's Setnor School of Music also offers performance degrees, but Bandier -- founded by Sony/ATV Music Publishing chairman/CEO Martin Bandier -- offers Bachelor of Science degrees to 25 students a year, who take courses in SU's famous Newhouse School of Communications, Whitman School of Management, and College of Arts and Sciences, and get lectures by execs from Atlantic Records, Creative Artists Agency, and others.

Question: If the Julliard School is to New York, the Berklee College of Music is to which city?
Answer: Boston